10 November 2015, The Guardian, New insect arrivals signal radical climate change – we can’t say we’ve not been warned. The exotic species colonising the south coast are the experts when it comes to adapting and surviving. We should learn from them. Something stunning happened last week, which has never before occurred in Britain in November: a subtropical butterfly, the long-tailed blue, was seen flying on the south coast of England. Another unprecedented event took place one August evening: a volunteer at the Dungeness bird observatory was strolling home from the pub when he was transported to summer holidays on Mediterranean verandas – he heard the nocturnal whirring of tree crickets. Hundreds of these warmth-loving insects have now been found breeding in Britain for the first time. Exceptional insects are the new normal. The long-tailed blue is a common sight across Africa, south Asia and Australia. Very occasionally – in 1945 and again in 1990 – warm winds push a couple of dozen to Britain. In 2013, however, more than 100 individuals were spotted between Bognor and Dover. This year has seen another 60 mostly British-born specimens emerging spectacularly late in the year for any butterfly, let alone a subtropical creature. We struggle to act on climate change because it involves restraining consumption – of fossil fuel – and we as a species find it hard to practise restraint. We are also struggling because arguments focused on parts per million of CO2 are abstract and remote from real experience. Insects could help us realise just how radically our climate is changing. Forgive an obvious animal cliche, but they are the canary in the coal mine. Along with tree bumblebees, another very visible newcomer in Britain, we might describe them as the first climate refugees to reach our shores. Read More here
Category Archives: Ecosystem Stress
10 November 2015, The Conversation, Ocean acidification: the forgotten piece of the carbon puzzle. Ocean acidification – the rise in ocean acidity due to the increased absorption of carbon dioxide (CO₂) – is often thought of as consequence of climate change. However, it is actually a separate, albeit very closely-related problem. Ocean acidification is often referred to as “the other CO₂ problem” because, like climate change, it is primarily a result of the increased emissions of this gas. Despite their common driver, though, the processes and impacts of ocean acidification and climate change are distinct. It should not be assumed that policies intended to deal with the climate will simultaneously benefit the oceans. The current emphasis of global climate policies on a warming target is a case in point. A narrow focus on temperature stabilisation, for example, opens the door for policy interventions that prioritise the reduction of greenhouse gases other than carbon dioxide. This is because non-CO₂ greenhouse gases — like methane and nitrous oxide, which can arise from agricultural and industrial processes — typically have a higher global warming potential and might even be less costly than CO₂ to reduce. In addition, several geoengineering schemes have been proposed to reduce the impacts of a warming climate. Yet such schemes often do nothing to address emissions, and may even exacerbate carbon absorption in the oceans. Read More here
6 November 2015, Renew Economy, Praying for rain – Tasmania. On the back of four years of dry and the shadow of El Niño looming large, recent rains across parts of inland Queensland must come as great relief. While plenty of follow up will be needed to restore surface water stores and recharge aquifers, we should be thankful for such mercies. As I sat down on Thursday morning (November 5) to start this piece, it began raining proverbial “cats and dogs” in Melbourne, bringing relief to parts of Victoria, including my garden (the 2-3 cm of rain that fell across Melbourne was twice as much as fell in all of October). However, the news is not so positive in Tasmania, which seems to have largely missed out on rain again, after several near record dry months. And that is compromising the health of Tasmanian hydro storages. By the end of October, Tasmanian hydro capacity was already below 30% capacity, and falling calamitously, despite a dramatic reduction in Tasmanian hydro power output. Read More here
5 November 2015, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Seafood trade: A contagious tendency. Global marine resource exploitation can spread in similar patterns to disease epidemics. Current high-speed seafood trade leaves consumers blissfully ignorant of its strains on marine ecosystems and fish species. This is because global trade guarantees consistent availability of fish at affordable prices by sourcing from suppliers around the world, despite fish species being on the brink of extintion. In a new study published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, several Centre colleagues in collaboration with WorldFish argue that global marine resource exploitation can spread in similar patterns to disease epidemics. The study highlights how the speed and connectivity of seafood commerce is severely challenging the capacity of existing regulatory institutions with the potential to decimate fisheries and the livelihoods of those that rely on them. Learn from WHO. Hampus Eriksson, lead author and scientist at World fish says: “Globalized markets connect distant sources of supply with metropolitan areas of demand. Exploitation expands so fast across the world in these modern sourcing networks that overfishing can occur before the resource is even perceived as threatened by management agencies.” The report’s authors propose that international cooperative initiatives, modelled on experiences in managing contagious diseases, could help to ensure the future sustainability of fisheries. Read More here